HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW : Shortage of Proven Skill-Position Players a Common Concern

Granada Hills High quarterback Jim Landress knifed through the line, his red pullover jersey flapping in the breeze.

To Landress’ surprise, a millisecond later he was walloped from the side and sent sprawling. Red jerseys are worn by quarterbacks to separate them from the rest of the offensive players. Landress’ head was nonetheless almost separated from his shoulders.

“Hey!” barked co-Coach Tom Harp, who runs the offense. “I told you guys not to tackle the quarterback.”

Nervous laughter came from the defensive huddle. Co-Coach Darryl Stroh, who handles the defense, couldn’t resist giving Harp the needle.

“OK, we’ll leave him alone,” Stroh fired back with a laugh, “if he promises to stop when we touch him with one hand.”

Not a bad idea, actually.

In the Northwest Valley Conference, skill-position players are a precious commodity. Protect the quarterback long has been a rallying cry for the offensive line, but for the first time in several seasons the conference seems to have a paucity of talent at skill positions.

Gone are running backs LaKarlos Townsend and Brian Brison of San Fernando, now at Ohio University. Ditto for Kennedy tailback Elijah Raphael, who now attends Washington State. Raphael led all area ballcarriers with 2,070 yards last fall.

The conference that produced major college players by the huddle-full might finally be experiencing a down cycle.

Kennedy, for instance, sent seven players to NCAA Division I schools from its 1986 team and five from 1991. The Golden Cougars welcome back just one starter from last fall’s team.

Wherefore art thou, Leonice Brown, Brett Washington, Albert Fann, Jamal Farmer, Ontiwaun Carter, Kyle Jan, Joe Mauldin, Jeremy Leach, Bryan Addison, David Wilson, Jamal Anderson, Sean Burwell, Kelvin Byrd, Bryan Martin?

Bright lights, big city . . . but where are the leading men?

“The marquee guys aren’t there,” said Tom Sams, Kennedy’s defensive coordinator.

A breakdown by position follows.

* Out of thin air (quarterbacks): The top returning passer, junior Leon Blunt of San Fernando, threw for 777 yards, an average of 64.8 yards a game.

Yet by comparison, Blunt bludgeons the competition. Chatsworth senior David Muir, who threw for 269 yards as a part-time starter, is the only other returning quarterback with more than 120 passing yards.

The area leader, now-graduated Brian Comer of Chatsworth, finished with all of 1,125 yards.

Landress, a sophomore transfer from Notre Dame who is awaiting word on a hardship petition filed to establish his athletic eligibility, could emerge as the best of the bunch.

* Running on empty (running backs): The ground troops are just as green, but there would seem to be a few more promising prospects. The leading returning rusher is Granada Hills tailback Raheem Kyle, who ran for 841 yards and 13 touchdowns. Again, by comparison, Kyle ran miles.

The second-most prolific returning ballcarrier is Donte Scarbrough of Kennedy, who gained 473 yards as a backup to Raphael. Senior Coron Lewis, a part-time starter at Cleveland, posted 306 yards.

Beyond that, Chris Shinnick of El Camino Real--who gained 221 yards in three games as a sophomore before suffering a broken arm--is the best of the returning lot.

The San Fernando cupboard seems a little bare. Amon Flanagan, who gained 77 yards in 12 carries, inherits Townsend’s halfback position in the wishbone backfield.

* Catch as catch can (receivers): No returning wide receiver caught more than 20 passes or scored more than three touchdowns in 1991, which was at least partly attributable to the absence of blue-chip quarterbacks.

The talent thinned so appreciably, so suddenly that some folks don’t know who to pick as the league favorite. Take the 4-A Division North Valley League, for instance.

One coach suggested putting the names of Granada Hills, San Fernando, Kennedy and El Camino Real into a hat and taking a blind draw to determine the early favorite.

“I have no idea (who the favorite should be),” Harp said. “I guess it’s Kennedy. They’re the defending champs and historically they seem to have good-sized linemen and good backs.”

Look elsewhere, Kennedy Coach Bob Francola says.

“I kind of like El Camino,” Francola said. “They’re lying in the weeds, trying to sneak up on everybody. Or maybe Granada Hills since they have the most returning players.”

In the 3-A West Valley, no clear-cut front-runner stands out, either. Taft, under first-year Coach Troy Starr, has the best young talent in the league and a standout on the rise in sophomore tailback Jerry Brown, the brother of former San Fernando halfback Leonice Brown.

Jerry Brown, like many backs throughout the conference, has yet to prove himself.

“I think (talented players) are waiting in the wings,” Francola said. “But they’re untested. Jerry Brown looks good hitting the hole, but can he take the hit?”

Chatsworth advanced to the 3-A final last season but lost all but one starter on offense. Reseda, which prides itself on playing back-to-the-wall defense, also seems uncharacteristically thin and might use as many as nine two-way starters.

Cleveland, in its second season under Coach Everett Macy, will be more experienced at the skill positions than most behind Lewis, but the Cavaliers seem undersized up front.

The front line is the bottom line when it comes to deciding the respective league champions, one coach predicted.

“The bottom line is that the school with the dominant linemen should do well,” Francola said. “Because the skill guys are all untested.”

NORTHWEST VALLEY CONFERENCE NORTH VALLEY LEAGUE (4-A)

PROJECTED FINISH FINAL 1991 STANDINGS Kennedy Kennedy 11-2, 7-0 Granada Hills San Fernando 10-2, 6-1 San Fernando Granada Hills 6-4, 5-2 El Camino Real El Camino Real 3-7, 1-6

*WEST VALLEY LEAGUE (3-A)

PROJECTED FINISH FINAL 1991 STANDINGS Taft Chatsworth 9-5, 4-3 Chatsworth Reseda 6-5, 3-4 Reseda Cleveland 1-8, 1-6 Cleveland *Taft 1-8, 1-6

* Finished last in 4-A West Valley League in ’91

*PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player School Pos. Ht Wt Class Jerry Brown Taft RB 5-11 165 So. Leon Blunt San Fernando QB 5-10 170 Jr. John Buckley Reseda LB 6-3 195 Sr. Vincent Carthron Kennedy LB 6-0 245 Jr. Gerald Cohl Reseda PK 5-6 160 Sr. Jeremy Deach Kennedy PK 5-10 170 Sr. Faio Emelio Granada Hills RB/DE 6-2 240 Sr. Raheem Kyle Granada Hills RB 5-9 160 Sr. Coron Lewis Cleveland RB 5-9 175 Sr. David Muir Chatsworth QB 5-10 155 Sr. Joey Rothman Taft DL 6-3 220 Jr. Donte Scarbrough Kennedy RB 5-9 170 Jr. Chris Shinnick El Camino RB 5-10 170 Jr. Ty Washington Cleveland LB 6-0 185 Sr.